The Second Ascent

Mandarin | Water Jasmine | Cherry Compote | Winey Depth | Long & Complex

The Bombe District sits at 2,200 to 2,300 metres — among the highest coffee-growing elevations in Ethiopia, and some of the finest terroir on the continent. Basha Bekele’s father was a cooperative manager here before him. Basha now holds his own export licence, operates three collection sites, and works with 126 producers. The second generation climbed higher.

Details

• Origin: Ethiopia · Sidama · Bombe District · Bensa · 2,200–2,300m
• Process: Anaerobic Natural 56h — dried whole in the cherry; expect winey depth and fermented complexity
• Roast: Handbrew / Filter
• Best for: V60, Chemex, AeroPress, Cold Brew

The Story

Before Ethiopia’s export reforms, both Basha and his father sold cherry at whatever price was set, with no path to premium markets. Basha changed that. He secured his own export licence, established collection sites at Bombe, Shantawane, and Kokose, and began gathering cherry from 126 producers growing coffee as high as 2,300 metres.

He also does something unusual: after a lot sells, he goes back to every producer who contributed cherry and pays them again — a second payment, once the lot clears. In a sector where premiums rarely survive past the first transaction, this is a model worth recognising.

The Bombe District is considered by many to have the finest coffee-growing conditions in Ethiopia. Basha did not simply inherit that. He earned it, shared it, and went further than where he started.

In the Cup

Coconut and white tea on the nose — quieter than you’d expect from a natural. Mandarin zest and water jasmine open the cup; cherry compote and a slow winey depth follow. Finishes long and slightly fermented. Not a coffee that announces itself; it unfolds.